Connor Colby, IOL, Iowa
Size:
Height: 6056
Weight: 309
Arm: 32”
Hand: 10”
Accomplishments:
Third-Team All-Big Ten (2023)
“Connor Colby is a quick, agile interior offensive lineman who will improve an NFL team’s zone running blocking while becoming an adequate pass protector.”
Strengths:
Experienced prospect with 40 games under his belt
Effective double team/duo blocker
Lateral run game displacer
Great zone scheme fit
Concerns:
Inconsistent pad-level and leveraging
Sustaining and maintaining blocks past initial contact
Waist bender, overreacher, and leaner when engaged
Lateral agility can be stressed
Film Analysis:
Connor Colby is a three-year starter on the Iowa Hawkeyes offensive line. He has played multiple positions, including both guard spots and right tackle. Colby is an agile-moving OL who can climb to the second level of the defense in the run game effectively. He offers experience, a strong motor, and functional strength to be effective in both run and passing plays.
Colby is an effective duo blocker in the run game. He fires off the ball and creates a surge in tandem with either his center or OT. Off the duo block, he does a good job climbing upfield to pick off linebackers, creating an access point for the ball-carrier to work upfield for positive yards. Colby is a lateral displacer. He is a strong zone blocker, working in unison with his OL to wash defenders down the line of scrimmage for cut-back opportunities by the RB. Colby shows functional athleticism and quickness to change gaps for reach blocks on a DL further down the line. His football IQ is strong. He understands when he should step toward and block a defender and when he should step to create a double-team block.
Colby displays good hand carriage in pass protection. He does not keep his hands low and to his sides and is mostly seen with his hands at chest level prepared to punch his opponents. His timing is adequate, he flashes quick hands to fire off punches and latch onto his opponent. Colby anchors fairly well once his hands are latched then his feet can settle into the ground. From there, he drops his trunk/anchor to stall any forward momentum created by his defender. Colby handles twists and stunts well, passing off defenders in a cohesive fashion with his teammates.
Scheme versatility is a concern with Colby’s profile. He is not an effective gap/power scheme blocker. He does not generate enough push to fit into those schemes where man/down blocks with vertical displacement responsibilities are needed. His lateral agility is functional, but he struggles to redirect when pulled farther to one side and has to recover to pick off a potential free-running defender. This creates vulnerable angles for the QB. Colby is prone to overreaching creating advantageous situations for the defender and negatively impacting his balance after initial contact. Quick and powerful defenders will displace/shed him at the point of attack because he lunges to engage, dropping his helmet upon contact. This puts him in compromising blocking situations, where he loses to push/pull and stab/swim combinations. On tape, he is a waist-bender, and improving his knee bending will help with leveraging to sustain his blocking positioning.
Overall, Colby projects as an adequate starting guard in a zone offense. His best blocks are laterally in the run game using a defender’s momentum against them and working in tandem on duo blocks before climbing to the second level. Colby must have one reliable bumper on his side to protect him against being exploited by oversetting in one direction. He will get the job done in both the run and passing attacks.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Written By: Damian Parson
Exposures: Michigan (2023), Ohio State (2023), Wisconsin (2023), Minnesota (2023)
